This invention relates in general to systems and methods for maintaining information in a database. More specifically, this invention relates to systems and methods for partitioning, de-normalizing and replicating information across a plurality of databases in a web server environment. The invention provides for maintaining relational references to data on the database while minimizing both transaction and storage costs associated with the information.
In general, economies of scale are exploited to reduce unit costs as a business grows. Thus, a larger business will generate greater profits than a smaller business providing identical services to a consumer at the same unit cost. In part, this general growth model fuels market competition and healthy economic expansion.
In contrast to the general growth model, profits generated by businesses which include a significant data storage component actually decrease as the business grows. For example, an electronic data archival business which is profitable when processing two million transactions per day may become unprofitable when processing four million transactions per day. This is typical of a number of Internet businesses which rely on monolithic databases to support Internet transactions. This decrease in profits is integrally related to increasing transaction costs associated with conventional, monolithic databases as illustrated in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 1, a two dimensional graph 100 illustrates a cost per transaction 110 verses a number of transactions 120. A line 130 connecting with a line 160 illustrates cost per transaction 110 as the number of transactions 120 varies. Initially, as line 130 indicates, cost per transaction 110 decreases as the number of transactions 120 increases. This decrease in cost occurs as economies of scale are exploited. At a point 135, cost per transaction 110 equals a revenue per transaction 180. At points above revenue per transaction 180, the business is not profitable and at points below revenue per transaction 180, the business is profitable. Profits are maximized between points 140 and 150 where cost per transaction 110 is minimized. However, as illustrated by line 160, costs per transaction 110 increase at an accelerating rate where the number of transactions 120 exceeds that represented by point 150. Eventually, the business becomes unprofitable at a point 165 where cost per transaction 110 equals revenue per transaction 180. Thus, using this profit model, as a company becomes increasingly successful, profits will decline. This reality is counterintuitive to healthy competition. To allow for continued success and profitability, a scalable database providing a roughly equivalent cost per transaction as the number of transactions increases is desired. Such a database is represented by a line 170.
Thus, conventional technology results in accelerating cost per transaction as the number of transactions increases. This accelerating cost is inimical to healthy competition and business growth. Thus, there exists a need for advanced systems and methods for storing data in a way which allows a growing company to exploit economies of scale.